#mechanicmonday honors ​Anait "Ana G" Garushyants

Anait "Ana G" Garushyants of Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania - by way of Uzbekistan.

​A new week means a brand new Mechanic Monday feature to share! Today we are excited to introduce you to Anait “Ana G” Garushyants of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania – by way of Uzbekistan!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.

Ana G is, literally, living her childhood dream of being a professional mechanic. Her journey into the cycling industry began in her father’s auto body shop, and has taken her across continents and introduced her to some of her greatest unexpected mentors. We were fortunate to catch up with Ana recently, and we are excited to share some of her story with you today, in her own words!

PBMA: How did you get involved in cycling and/or cycling mechanics?

AG: My dad was an auto/moto mechanic, and he also raced cars and motorcycles. When I was a kid, he often would take me to his shop, and I loved it! Cars, bikes, and tools fascinated me and took over my imagination. Besides cars and motorcycles, my dad also loved to ride his road bike, and I enjoyed riding with him. He passed away when I was 12, and I said to my 12-year-old-self that I want to be a racer and a mechanic when I grow up. Time was going by, and I was consumed with all the usual teenager’s problems: Growing up without having parents around, moving from one country to another, and trying to find myself in the midst of it all. A couple years after finishing high school, my passion for vehicles and mechanics came back. In 2003, I met a great group of people who were into bike trials. They helped me to build my first trial bicycle on a beautiful Monty X-lite frame, and I started riding again.

Inspired by videos like JIB, I started learning different tricks, and my bike started breaking! Since I wasn’t well off financially, I had to learn how to fix it by myself. Meanwhile, a new bicycle store opened just across the road from my apartment. I applied for a job there and got it! I learned about different types of bikes and disciplines. I moved from trial to MTB – mostly DH and 4X – and that’s when I seriously fell in love with cycling and bikes. And who wouldn’t? I mean, bicycles give you the type of freedom that nothing else does!

I worked at the same shop from 2004 to 2013, making my way up to the store manager position. In 2013, I received my green card and moved to the US. It has been a serious challenge for me, especially because I barely spoke English five years ago. I had to find a job, and the only thing I could offer to a prospective employer was my experience, knowledge, and passion for bikes. I went to ask for a job at a local bike shop – Abington Wheel Wright Bike Shop – because the shop was recommended to me as the best in the area by a guy from Pinkbike forum. (That guy is my good friend and a customer now!) I got the job as a mechanic, and I realized that it is something that makes me genuinely happy. I always loved to fix things, I always loved bicycles, and I was able to combine both at the same time!

My employer at Abington Wheel Wright, Miko, was a great teacher. He is a very talented engineer and mechanic, and an awesome person overall. I was lucky enough to get the job at his shop and to meet a few great people there, including my partner Adam. Unfortunately, Miko’s shop closed in 2015. I had to get some boring office job that made me completely miserable. But after a couple of months, Adam and I decided to open a small bike shop, Circle Cycle Bike Shop. On June 1st 2016, we opened our doors to our cycling community (on a shoestring budget). These past two years haven’t been easy, and we just broke even on our second year. But I am positive we can make it work, and I am optimistic about our future.

PBMA: Do you have a favorite moment or story from your time in the cycling industry?

AG: There have been a lot of great moments and stories, and it’s hard to pick just one. But if I must, it would be a hand-made card that we received from a female NICA athlete. Our shop has been sponsoring SoMont Youth MTB team, part of PICL and NICA, for several years. Often, we travel “pro bono” to their races to provide mechanical support for the team. After our first season with them, one of the athletes drew a “thank you” card for supporting the team and for working on her bike. That melted my heart, and it also brought me to the realization that I am exactly where I should be. Seeing smiles and happiness on the kids’ faces is the best reward for me, and seeing how passionate they are about cycling makes me happy! I’m glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of it.

PBMA: What motivation or advice would you give to women who aspire to be professional bicycle mechanics?

AG: My advice would be to not get scared because you don’t know something, because nobody does, and we all learn something new every day. Be prepared to learn and never stop. Do not be afraid to ask questions and to ask for help when you need it.

What can be more motivating or rewarding than the end result off diagnosing and solving a mechanical problem? That’s what motivates me. I know that I can do it, and I can do it well! Believe in yourself and follow your passion. If you love the concept of a bicycle and mechanics of it, you’ll do great.

PBMA: What is your favorite tool?

AG: Honestly, I don’t think I have just one favorite tool. I love them all! But if I must to choose only one, I’d hold on to my Crank Brothers multi-tool that I always carry with me wherever I go. Picks are great too, though, and so is my Park Tool hammer. Oh, that’s a really tough question!

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, we are still in need of nominations!! You don’t need to be a PBMA Member to nominate or be featured! (All that we ask is for no self-nominations, please.) Click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!

#mechanicmonday honors Mike Berry

​Happy Monday, and Happy Labor Day to our friends here in the US! Labor Day traditionally marks the unofficial end of summer, which can mean only one thing: CX IS COMING! So it seems only appropriate that we honor one of the outstanding mechanics of American cyclocross with today’s Mechanic Monday feature.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.

Without further ado, we are pleased to introduce you to Mike Berry of Boston, Massachusetts – one of the elite mechanics for the Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com professional cyclocross team!

Mike has been working with Stu Thorne and his Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld program for many years, but didn’t take on a leadership role until the 2013-2014 season, when he assumed full mechanical responsibility for the development team of Junior and U-23 athletes. In the five years since then, Mike has become an indispensable part of the program at both the elite and development levels.

Mike builds and maintains the fleet of Devo bikes each year, and he works individually with each of the young riders to practice “pit skills” like bike changes and understanding tire pressure for different conditions. He also helps out with the Pro team’s four elite riders, manages the program’s inventory of spare parts, and helps coordinate sponsor relationships and logistics. Mike helps support both the Devo and Pro teams’ athletes at their many UCI and World Cup races, from as close-to-home as the Gloucester Grand Prix to as far-away as the World Championships in Europe. He swears he doesn’t have a favorite race, only favorite courses because no two years (or days) in a single venue are the same.

During the “off-season” of cyclocross – a.k.a. mid-February to mid-August – Mike is a neutral support mechanic on the road. He got his start volunteering with Mavic’s Special Service Course (SSC) program something like 25 years ago, which makes him one of Mavic’s longest-tenured mechanics. Mike has also worked extensively with Butch Balzano’s NRS & Events p/b LOOK program for at least ten years, and is beginning to work with the new, in-house SRAM Neutral Support program as well.

In his time working in neutral support, Mike has trained countless up-and-coming mechanics – including more than a few who are now working on the World Tour circuit – and has facilitated countless technical seminars for bike shops, teams, and recreational cyclists. His advice on everything from disc brakes to torque specs has been featured both within and outside of the industry (most recently in Cyclocross Magazine). Mike has worked tirelessly to forge and maintain great relationships with an incredible array of companies, and has partnered specifically with Pedro’s for product testing and developing educational content to be released starting next year.

With his background in neutral and team support, his understanding of the industry, and his history with the Mavic brand, Mike was the obvious choice this year when Mavic’s new leadership decided to restart and rebuild the stateside SSC program. This year’s events included four Haute Routes and one wildly successful Tour of Utah, and Mike is already collaborating with Mavic’s leadership on expanding their calendar for next season.

The “favorite tool” question with Mike is a loaded one; he is a veritable connoisseur of tools, so much so that he is able to decide on a favorite flavor of ice cream more readily than he is a favorite tool. Mike’s toolbox is an eclectic mix of time-tested favorites, collected surprises, and one-of-a-kind prototypes and homemade (or home-adapted) tools. His favorite tool today – as he is finishing Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld team bikes and prepping to glue tires ahead of the UCI season opener in Rochester next weekend – is the new Pedro’s Rx Micro-9 multi-tool, customized with all the bits he needs to dial-in the team equipment. But even Mike admits that is likely to evolve as the season progresses, so stay tuned to his Instagram feed (@mikeberrymech) for updates!

That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, we are still in need of nominations!! You don’t need to be a PBMA Member to nominate or be featured! (All that we ask is for no self-nominations, please.) Click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!